Athlete profile: Casey FitzRandolph

Posted: Tue February 3, 1998 at 5:00 PM ET

Athlete notes

With the Olympics in sight, is Casey striking out?...last summer, FitzRandolph seemed destined to follow Dan Jansen onto the Olympic podium in the 1,000 meters...at the 1997 World Sprint Championships, FitzRandolph finished second and third in the two 1,000 meters...but as of press time -- December 22 -- FitzRandolph was floundering; indeed, Cory Carpenter had skated to the new American record in the 1,000..."Casey is the one who's having a difficult time with the clap skates," says US Speed Skating chief and former sprinter Nick Thometz. "He hasn't found a right pair of boots. I think he's changing the boots too many times, too often so he's not building up enough confidence in any pair"...FitzRandolph admits it has been a problem -- he has worn traditional boots, rather than custom-made ones like many others have worn..."But clap skates give more of an advantage to a big guy, and FitzRandolph is fairly big so I think he might break out at some point during the season once he figures out his boots," says Thometz...FitzRandolph says, "Well, I'm not that big. But I believe I'm getting it"...he will look to the retired Jansen for inspiration if his clap skate quest proves elusive for Nagano..."You know watching him have misfortune after misfortune," says FitzRandolph. "I think the biggest lesson I learned from him is, `Geez if it doesn't pan out in '98, I've got 2002.' You know, just because it doesn't happen right away doesn't mean it's not gonna happen"...from the beginning, FitzRandolph has stated that he would like to see clap skates banned..."We thought they would never work especially for the men sprinters who kind of tear into the ice a little more and who really try to rip the ice but here we are," says Casey. "My start is what I refer to as the [US middle distance skater] KC Boutiette start. He gets down, puts his hand down behind the line and brings the skate back a little bit and then with the gun, he goes"...FitzRandolph is looking at the two 500 meters -- lowest aggregate cumulative time wins gold -- as "an extra race to prepare for the 1,000"..."Physically, I think Casey can gain another five, 10 pounds of muscle mass," admits US coach Guy Thibault (GHEE tee-BOH). "That's a big difference with Dan Jansen. Dan was more of a physical guy where Casey, he's more of a skinny guy. Well, he's getting bigger slowly"..."I have about half the legs so I have to rely on being a little more efficient," laughs Casey...speed skaters often marvel at FitzRandolph's technique...Jansen -- like Thometz - believes FitzRandolph is also a power skater..."When you watch him skate you see power coming from each stride, and I'd liken that to the way I skated as well," says Jansen... in 1980, five-year-old Casey was skating around the hockey rink in Madison -- but it was not Mark Johnson, the Madison native who was on the Miracle on Ice team, he followed..."To sum it up in one name, Eric Heiden," says Casey, who was not fond of the pads or physical contact of hockey. "The coach convinced my folks, of course, that I was the next Eric Heiden. They bought it hook, line, and sinker and then ever since I've been plugging away at it"...after not making the 1994 Olympic team, FitzRandolph broke through to the national team in 1995 and then began his assault on the world..."I kind of looked at those weekends as one of my major breakthoughs," says Casey. "I skated personal bests by a second and all of a sudden I wasn't beating but I was competing with our top guys. And from that point on that made me believe I can compete with the best in our country. And then a couple of years later the same thing happened at the world level"...a huge Packers fan, FitzRandolph was Midwest Conference Placekicker of the Year for Carroll College in Waukesha, Wisconsin in 1993..."In the back of my mind, I have this dream to be an NFL kicker," smiles Casey...FitzRandolph is also an avid hunter and fisherman, spending the month of April at his parents' cabin in northern Wisconsin...father John is a Vice-President for a printing company; mother Ruth is a registered nurse..."I don't think neither of us are terribly gifted athletes," says John. "I think we're coordinated people. We enjoy working out and doing things. We play soccer. We do those things just to stay young and vital and active just so we don't get sedentary and put on that mid-section that happens to most middle-aged people. But in terms of ever excelling at anything, I don't think either of us were given an opportunity to do that. We came from small towns in Wisconsin where our parents worked a lot. We had to work as kids to make money so to make ends meet and take care of ourselves"...Casey was nicknamed Pokey by the family because of his chronic tardiness..."I'm Pokey pretty much with everything off the ice at least, so I guess if I had to pick one area not to be Pokey then I picked the right one," laughs Casey...Casey's sister Jessi skated for a number of years before stopping...Jessi attends Edgewood College in Madison where she studies graphic design and is a member of the school's soccer team...Casey is a sophomore at Carroll College -- although he does not kick anymore except for fun...